


Five Times Tony Stark Cried On His Birthday, and the One Time It Was Because He Was Happy

by twenty3



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Birthday, Drug Use, Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, Fix-It of Sorts, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Hurt/Comfort, IronStrange, M/M, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony Stark-centric, tony's birthday
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-29
Updated: 2020-05-29
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:14:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24445633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twenty3/pseuds/twenty3
Summary: Most of his birthdays Tony couldn't remember.The ones he could, he wished he couldn't.Until now.
Relationships: Harley Keener & Peter Parker, Harley Keener & Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Harley Keener & Tony Stark, James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Tony Stark/Stephen Strange
Comments: 11
Kudos: 244





	Five Times Tony Stark Cried On His Birthday, and the One Time It Was Because He Was Happy

**Author's Note:**

> First off, happy birthday to Tony Stark <3
> 
> I'm operating off of the assumption Tony was born on May 29, 1970. I also decided to stick with December 16, 1991 as the date of his parent's deaths. 
> 
> I'm also ignoring Endgame in its entirety, as well as this pandemic and assuming everything is fine because for Tony's birthday, it should be. 
> 
> Enjoy!

_May 29, 1978_

The school year was almost over, and Tony still had not made a single friend. Jarvis had promised him the fact he was four years younger than all of the other lowers at Phillips Academy wouldn’t matter after the first few days. The other kids would get over it quickly.

They hadn’t.

At lunch he sat alone at the end of a long table, eating quickly so he could leave the cafeteria and get away from the noise of his classmates. No twelve or thirteen year old wanted to hang around a seven year old. Well, he was eight now, but nobody knew that. Nobody knew it was his birthday.

He wasn’t even sure his parents remembered. After classes Tony had returned to his room, a single at the insistence of the administration due to his age, to ensure he wouldn’t miss their call. He would normally spend the afternoon in one of the labs, but not today.

The hours slipped by into the early evening. He skipped dinner, unwilling to chance not being next to the phone. He sat on his bed, knees hugged to his chest forcing himself to look out the window at the rain that just refused to stop falling all day, telling himself that if he looked at the phone it would never ring.

It was well after ten when it finally did, waking Tony from where he had dozed off against the wall next to his bed.

“Hello?” he answered, a smile on his face already.

“Anthony.”

The smile was instantly gone. It was his father’s voice where he had been expecting his mom, or Jarvis. He instinctively straightened up on his bed, even though he knew his father couldn’t see him. Best not to take the chance, though.

“Hi, dad,” he greeted, trying very hard not to sound disappointed.

“I take it you’re up so late because you’ve been studying for finals.”

Tony rolled his eyes. “Of course.”

“Good. Keep up the habit. You’ll need to work even harder during the summer program.”

The little boy’s heart sank. “What summer program?”

Howard sighed in annoyance. “Phillips Academy’s. You’ll be staying there through the summer. The session starts the Monday after your last exam.”

Tony’s vision swam. He knew that it was partly due to the fact that he hadn’t eaten or drank anything since lunch, and was exhausted, but his dizziness crashed over him.

“I don’t want-”

“Please don’t be immature about this,” Howard demanded. “Your mother and I don’t have time to babysit you all summer.”

“Jarvis-”

“Will be busy traveling with me on business. He’s my butler, not yours, Anthony.”

Tony was only vaguely aware of the sound of his mother’s voice on the other end of the line. It finally replaced Howard’s harsh tone.

“Sweetheart?”

“Mom,” Tony choked out through the lump in his throat. “Please don’t make me stay here. Not all summer. I’ll be good, I swear, I won’t get into any trouble. I’ll do whatever dad wants, okay? Just let me come home.”

“Your father and I just want what’s best for you,” she said softly. She didn’t sound like she was convinced. “It’ll be over before you know it.”

Tony was shaking his head furiously. “But then the regular school year will start and I’ll still be here!”

The deep breath Maria took on the other end was inaudible to her son. He didn’t hear her despair, the same way he wouldn’t hear the fight her and Howard were going to have once this call ended.

“How was your birthday, dear?”

“Awful,” Tony spat. “I don’t have any friends. No one is even close to my age, and they hate that I’m smarter than them. I have to eat all alone every single day and no one ever invites me to do anything or even says hi to me.”

The tears were rolling down his face freely. Back in New York, Maria was wiping at her own cheeks.

“It’ll get better, Tony, I promise,” she said calmly. “Your present should be there in a few days. I’m sorry it’s late-”

“I don’t want a present, I want to come home!”

Maria had never heard her son sound so desperate before.

True to his cruel nature, Howard rushed her off the phone. She barely had time to say goodnight and that she loved him before the call ended. Tony held the phone to his ear, sitting in stunned silence.

He hadn’t even been able to talk to Jarvis.

Slamming the receiver down didn’t have the desired effect, so he did it again. And again. And again, until the plastic cracked and the buttons started to fly off.

Only when the wires were showing and the mouthpieces was dangling uselessly did he stop.

Sobs racked his body as Tony tried to figure out what he did to make his parents send him away. He knew his father didn’t love him, didn’t even like him, but his mom had always been different. Kind. Patient. Loving.

He must have done something. But he couldn’t for the life of him figure out what it was.

Not knowing only made him cry harder. He cried until he got sick, losing what little he had in his stomach.

When he got back from class the next day, the phone beside his bed had been replaced.

So he broke it again.

* * *

_May 29, 1983_

Unsettling isn’t usually how someone would describe being handed a gift, especially on their birthday.

But that’s how Tony felt when Howard handed him the wrapped package.

Twelve previous birthdays, and Tony never remembered his dad once giving him a present.

After shedding the paper, a t shirt was revealed, bearing the insignia of MIT. Tony looked at it for a few seconds before looking up at Howard, who was smiling almost manically.

“I picked it up after dropping off the deposit for next year,” Howard reported.

Tony frowned. “Deposit for what?”

“MIT,” Howard replied, already unimpressed with Tony’s behavior.

“I haven’t even graduated,” Tony said, shaking his head slowly. “I have a year of high school left. How can I be going to-”

“Because your last name is Stark.”

Tony’s eyes flicked over to his mother, but she was looking down at her empty plate. Pleading in his head for her to come to his aid didn’t work.

It never did.

“I, um, was actually thinking of taking a gap year. Or two.”

Howard scoffed as if that were the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard. “Why the hell would you do that?”

“So that I would be a little older,” Tony replied, looking at the shirt clutched in his hands. “And then I’d be able to-”

“If you say ‘fit in,’ I’m going to smack you,” Howard promised. Tony didn’t need to test the threat to know it held water. “You’re not meant to fit in. You’re a Stark.”

Tony fought the urge to sigh. “Okay...but I was actually looking at Cal Tech. That way, I’d be closer to home now, and-”

“You’re not going to Cal Tech. You’re going to MIT.”

“Dad, you can’t just decide where I go to school.”

“Yes, actually, I can. I’m paying. And I’m your father. You’re not an adult, so you don’t get a say.”

The tone of voice coming from Howard could only be described as overly pleased with himself.

Tony shook his head. “This isn’t fair.”

Neither Tony nor Maria jumped when Howard slammed his fist on the table. They had both become more than accustomed to that by now.

“You’re thirteen. You don’t know what fair is. So just shut up and do what you’re told.”

Maria dutifully followed her husband out of the dining room, much to Tony’s annoyance. He thought she was always taking his side, even though she was usually trying to convince him to apologize.

She was never successful.

“Did you know about this?”

Jarvis stopped his task of clearing the table to look over at Tony. He sighed heavily, not even attempting to hide it from the newly donned teenager.

“He kept the preparations from me,” Jarvis replied. “Despite his best efforts, your father knew I would remain your advocate.”

Tony swallowed hard. “He’s my dad. _He’s_ supposed to be my advocate, to be on my side. Why doesn’t he-”

His throat thickening stopped him short. The tears started falling from his eyes. Jarvis abandoned his work to round the able, wrapping an arm around Tony’s shoulders and held the boy close.

* * *

_May 29, 1991_

Four a.m.

Tony thought he was timing it perfectly.

Too late for his father to still be up, and too early for his mom to have risen yet. That sweet spot where he could return to the Malibu house without being detected and therefore avoid questions about where he had been.

He wasn’t even able to close the door before Howard was grabbing him by the neck, slamming him up against the wall of the hallway.

“How dare you.”

It wasn’t a question. It was a statement.

Tony didn’t need to ask for elaboration to know what was going on. Somehow, despite the darkness and being dropped off at the gate and not in front of the house, Howard had seen the guy Tony had been with. The guy whose bed Tony had spent the night in. The guy who Tony had been making out with in his car before returning to the house.

The entryway was dimly lit, but Tony could clearly see the rage on his father’s face. The bloodshot eyes. The unmistakable smell of expensive scotch.

Howard released the grip on his son’s throat just as Tony was sure he was going to pass out.

“Who was that?” Howard demanded.

Tony coughed as he fought to catch his breath. “No one.”

Howard glared even harder. “That will never, ever happen again,” he declared.

It wasn’t clear what exactly came over him. Defiance wasn’t quite strong enough. But Tony didn’t care what it was.

He was just done.

“Come on, dad,” he said in a mock plea. “I’m told I look so pretty on my knees with my mouth full.”

The fist coming at him was nothing but a blur. Tony didn’t even register it before it made contact with the side of his head, right next to his left ear. He felt something pop. It was too early to tell if it was his eardrum or a bone.

Pain shot seemingly throughout his entire body. Before he could move away at all, Howard’s hand was around his throat again, pressing him back up against the wall forcefully.

“Try sucking cock with a broken jaw.”

Tony collapsed to the floor as soon as the hand on his neck was gone.

He had no way of knowing it at the time, but that was one of the last things his father would ever say to him.

On his last birthday before his parents died.

There was virtually no communication between Tony and Howard between then and December of that year.

Even if he had known what was going to happen, Tony wasn’t sure he would have changed that fact.

Once afforded the opportunity, Tony bolted out the still open door, headed for his car, tears hot in his tired eyes.

“Tony.”

The unsteadiness of his hands preventing him from successfully unlocking his car made him slow down enough to decide to turn around. Tony saw his mom standing on the staircase leading to the side door, arms crossed over her chest, in her pajamas. Jarvis’s face peeked out from the doorway behind her, equally as confused and concerned.

“What’s going on?” Maria asked, starting to make her way down the stairs.

“Ask him!” Tony seethed, raising a trembling hand to point vaguely in the direction of his father’s workshop. “Ask your fucking husband.”

No matter how bad things had ever gotten, Tony had never sworn at, or in the presence of, his mom. He knew her own father had been a harsh man, and was just as verbally abusive as Howard. Tony was always conscious of that.

Maria stopped mid step, but it wasn’t due to Tony’s words. She was close enough to be able to see the blooming bruises on Tony’s neck, and the bright red welt on his cheek. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of her son’s injuries.

After a heavy moment, she was finally able to speak. “Come inside,” she pleaded. “Let’s talk about this.”

Tony breathed a humorless laugh. “There’s nothing to talk about.” His words were slightly slurred due to swelling that had already begun in his jaw. “He would rather kill me than acknowledge the fact that I like to get fucked by guys as much I like to fuck girls.”

“Anthony,” Jarvis warned, coming to stand next to Maria. “Calm down before you press on this way.”

“Calm down?!” Tony scoffed. “You want me to calm down? How about what I want, for fucking once? I want one of you, either of you would do, to actually care. Not just put on a show for me before falling right back in line for Hitler.”

There were no neighbors to be concerned about overhearing. Tony was sure to keep his voice up, knowing that his father was surely listening, if not watching as well.

“He’s never hurt you like this,” Maria almost sobbed.

“He’s never hurt me?” Tony almost demanded. “Never loving me hurts a lot fucking worse than a broken jaw.”

Tony was gone, speeding out of the driveway, before his mom or Jarvis could get another word in.

It wasn’t safe, to be driving this fast with his vision blurred by the steady stream of tears.

But he was well past caring.

So he just drove.

* * *

_May 29, 1999_

Both of his parents were gone. Jarvis, too.

A slew of outrageous birthday parties marked his early twenties. They were always covered by entertainment news outlets, and were regarded as one of the top social events of the year.

What could be better than partying with a young billionaire with nothing to lose?

Tony spent the entire night trying to make everyone around him happy. Making sure everyone had enough to eat, enough to drink, enough to snort. A glass of champagne so at midnight they could all raise their glasses to the turn to his official birthday. He was paying so much attention to people he barely knew, he neglected to keep an eye on one of the few people he did know.

Jessica was gorgeous. She was young. She was relatively funny, and didn’t drive him to complete boredom within a half hour.

He thought he could actually see this going somewhere.

So he didn’t think anything of it when she kept handing him drinks all night.

It was certainly nothing new when she suggested they sneak upstairs to his hotel suite to dip into his private stash of cocaine.

The new stuff came the next morning.

As far as he knew, Tony had never been drugged before. He was never quite sure exactly what it had been, because he never went to a doctor or the hospital, but it had certainly done the trick.

Jessica was nowhere to be found when Tony woke up on his twenty-ninth birthday on the floor of the hotel room, naked under the curtain he had apparently pulled from the window above him. Light flooded the room, alerting him to the deafening headache overtaking him.

It took over an hour for Tony to be able to pull himself off the floor. His head swam in and out of consciousness. He only managed to get into a sitting position against the wall before nausea took over, forcing him to stay put.

He was too out of it to be surprised when Rhodey appeared in front of him.

“Tony? Can you hear me?”

A choking sound came from Tony’s throat as he tried to swallow. “I don’t feel all that great.”

The reprimand Tony was expecting didn’t come. Rhodey didn’t need to see a blood test to know that this wasn’t an ordinary hangover, that someone had drugged his best friend.

What he had seen on the news this morning had given it away, too.

Pictures of Tony doing all kinds of things had been cropped up and disappeared just as quickly over the years. Being the head of one of the biggest companies in the world didn’t quite give him the self-restraint that some people had been hoping for.

But this had been different, because they had been taken and sold by someone Tony had trusted.

Dealing with it would have to wait, though.

Rhodey managed to get Tony off the floor and into the bathroom, explaining as they went that he was burning up and needed to cool off. He sat on the floor next to the tub, barely even noticing that the cool water was getting on him as well. Rhodey kept his eyes on Tony, making sure his breathing was even and steady.

After fifteen minutes, Rhodey gave up trying to talk him into going to the hospital. He thought he had him convinced when Pepper started calling about the “public relations nightmare” that had exploded, but it didn’t exactly do the trick.

While they waited for Happy to pull the car outside the service entrance of the hotel to ensure their escape, Tony and Rhodey sat tucked between a laundry cart and the cement wall. Rhodey turned to his friend, planning on cracking a joke to lighten the mood.

The tears falling from Tony’s eyes stopped Rhodey short.

“I should have listened to you,” he all but whispered. “You’re the only person who ever tells me the truth. Even Pepper placates me. Why don’t I just listen to you?”

Rhodey bumped his shoulder into Tony’s. “Because you’re human, man. It’s okay to make mistakes.”

Tony breathed an empty laugh. “I’m a walking mistake. My father made that very clear.”

“Hey. Tony.” Rhodey stared at him until Tony finally let their eyes meet. “Your father was an asshole.” That got a genuine laugh and smile. “This was a bad break man, but you’re gonna be alright.”

“Yeah?”

“Of course. You’ve got me. What else could you possibly need?”

Before he could respond, Rhodey was pulling him to his feet at the sound of Happy finally arriving. They ducked into the car and slouched down, effectively avoiding detection as they vacated the hotel parking lot.

“A cheeseburger would be great,” Tony finally replied, earning a mock glare from Rhodey.

But it didn’t last, because the smile was still on Tony’s lips.

Even though there were still tears in his eyes.

* * *

_May 29, 2010_

Dying from palladium poisoning was dramatic enough without all the additional fanfare Tony opted to bring into the matter.

Assuming it was his last birthday really was no excuse. Nothing would excuse treating Pepper the way he had. Or Rhodey. They had never actually physically fought before, not seriously. That drove home the situation, leaving Tony with a feeling in his stomach as if he had swallowed a leaking battery.

At least it would make it easier, for them, when he was gone. They wouldn’t be as upset when he died because now they knew what a terrible person he truly was. Pepper would be free to move on, take the company in the right direction and not be weighed down by him. Rhodey would be relieved. Not outwardly, but it would be there. No doubt he was exhausted by his friend’s long time insanity. They would both say such nice things at his funeral, but after, they would breathe much easier without having to look over their shoulders for the next Tony Stark incident.

Considering the very real possibility that he would never see his friends again choked Tony up a lot faster than he anticipated. He blamed it on the alcohol, even as he swallowed another mouthful of whiskey.

The bottle was empty before he knew it.

In the back of his mind, Tony was surprised the diving board was supporting the weight of the suit. He let the empty bottle drop from his suited hand into the pool, mingling in with the other debris. The sun beginning to come up allowed for him to see his reflection in the water.

He shut his eyes against the sight, forcing the tears that had been building up between his eyelids and down his pale, bruised face.

* * *

_May 29, 2020_

“You guys do know that there are other exhibitions here besides the T-Rex, right?”

Tony’s words fell on deaf ears. Peter and Harley were much too engrossed in the dinosaur skeleton in front of them to bother listening to the man behind them.

A short vibration in his pocket prompted Tony to retrieve his phone.

**Stephen**

_Almost done. Back in time for dinner, I promise._

Tony smiled, able to hear the irritation he knew would have been in Stephen’s voice as he read the text.

‘ _No rush. It’s a very real possibility we get locked in here overnight. I can’t get these two to stop arguing about dinosaurs again’_ he typed out.

**Stephen**

_They’ll remember the mummy display soon enough, and that will be your next obstacle._

The smile on his face made Tony’s cheeks sore, but that wasn’t stopping him.

Eventually, Tony managed to drag the teenagers out of the hall and through the rest of the museum.

Unsurprisingly, Stephen had been perfectly correct in his guess that the Egyptian hall would hold their attention just as much as the T-Rex had.

By the time they had made their way back out into the late spring sunshine, the trio was absolutely starving. Luckily, a line of food trucks was stationed a short walk from the museum, offering enough options to cover all three of them.

They found a table under a shady tree and spent the next hour eating their food in between bouts of laughter and incessant teasing all around.

The boys did a good job upon the return to the penthouse keeping Tony occupied and not worried about Stephen’s delay. He knew it was just a meeting with the other Masters, but his anxiety always started to creep in no matter how hard he tried. He worried about a sudden attack, and being helpless to do anything about it until it was too late.

As the afternoon wore on, Tony’s mind kept wandering back to the sorcerer, and how their relationship had developed over the last two years.

It had been purely physical for almost the entire first year. After Thanos’ defeat, rebuilding the planet (and the Avengers) was no easy task. Tony and Stephen were often at odds, arguing with one another over the best courses of action, and the involvement Stephen’s order should or shouldn’t have in various affairs.

The constant arguing and bickering finally boiled over to passionate, albeit rough, sex in Tony’s lab. Which turned into an unspoken agreement that physical connection was an effective outlet for their hectic lives.

It had actually been Tony’s birthday that had almost caused the end of their not exactly even a relationship. He had asked Stephen to come to dinner at the penthouse with Rhodey, Happy, Peter and Harley. It wasn’t a big deal, Tony assured him, but he was hoping Stephen would join.

Stephen had vehemently declined.

It was too much, too intimate. And, yeah, he knew it was ridiculous, to say that having dinner was more intimate than the countless physical things he and Tony had done with and to each other. But to him, it made sense, and it wasn’t worth the risk of additional pain if it couldn’t work out between them.

This, of course, had lead to a fight that resulted in the two of them not speaking for over two months before Stephen realized he simply did not want to go on pretending he was fine without Tony in his life.

The second year had gone much better than the first. It was a slow process, but admitting their feelings for one another was as freeing as it was terrifying.

Stephen’s arrival swept Tony up so much so that he barely noticed the boys leaving, claiming some urgent business with Ned and MJ.

“How was the meeting of the-”

“You know that’s not what it’s called,” Stephen cut him off before pressing his lips to Tony’s firmly to prevent any retort. “Happy birthday, Tony,” he mumbled against the short man’s lips.

“Thank you,” Tony breathed, stealing another kiss. “But things are good?”

Stephen nodded. “Fine. Better now.”

“You don’t have to butter me up, Steph. I’m all yours. Apparently,” Tony said, looking around at the now empty living room.

“I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t part of the plan.”

Tony quirked an eyebrow. “Plan? I thought we were just hanging out.”

It had been made abundantly clear by the billionaire that he didn’t want to make a big deal out of his birthday. Fiftieth be damned. He had spent enough birthdays over indulging and under appreciating. He was done with all of that now. He just wanted a quiet night with his wizard boyfriend.

“We are,” Stephen assured him. “There’s just a little, tiny bit more to it than that.”

“Such as?”

Stephen’s smile was too shy to be sinister, despite his mysterious air. “I’d be happy to show you, if you wouldn’t mind closing your eyes for a moment.”

After slipping his hand into Stephen’s, Tony did just that. He was gently lead through the front door into the elevator, where they were clearly taken up to the roof, of which only Tony’s elevator had access.

Other than Thor, and those other Avengers who could fly. Or float. Or swing.

The cool evening air ruffled Tony’s hair as they stepped out. His eyes remained closed, but Stephen’s hand left his as he moved to stand behind Tony. He pressed his lips to Tony’s neck, then his cheek, before whispering in his ear.

“Open your eyes.”

Upon doing so, Tony’s breath was halted in his lungs.

Dozens of candles littered the terrace. The faint glow in front of the city backdrop was nothing short of beautiful. The outdoor seating was arranged around a glass table, adorned with all of Tony’s favorite things. On the other side, the fire pit was already going steady.

Cheeseburgers. Fries. Vanilla Coke. The best blankets and pillows from the Sanctum.

Stephen was having a hard time gauging Tony’s reaction from this angle, so he started talking.

“I know you didn’t want to do anything special for your birthday, but I figured this was a fair compromise, because I wanted to do something special for you anyway. I know I’m not romantic, and I’m awful at this sort of thing, but I need you to know how much I care about you, how much I want you to be happy. How much I love you.”

Somehow, Tony managed to tear his eyes away from the sight in front of him and turn to face Stephen. He stared into icy blue eyes that were looking back at him almost desperately. Tony’s hands moved on their own accord, one curling around the back of Stephen’s neck, the other pulling him forward by his hip until their bodies were flush together.

“This is...” Words escaped Tony Stark for maybe the first time in his life.

So he opted for a kiss instead.

It was slow and deep, full of passion and tenderness. Stephen ignored his lungs screaming at him for air and lost himself in the feeling of Tony.

When they finally parted, Stephen managed to regain his breath. “I take it this wasn’t the terrible idea I was afraid it would be?”

“No,” Tony breathed, laughing slightly. “This is perfect. No one has ever done anything like this for me before. Stephen, I...”

The tightness in his throat stopped Tony from continuing. He hadn’t noticed the tears falling from his eyes until Stephen’s trembling thumbs were brushing them away.

“I’m fine,” Tony said, smiling up at Stephen before he could inquire what was wrong. “I just don’t think I’ve ever been this happy.”

Stephen let his hands frame Tony’s gorgeous face. “That’s all I want, for you to be happy.”

Of course, all of the food on the table was the perfect temperature, despite the fact that they didn’t get around to eating for a little while.

Making out surrounded by the candles was much higher on the priority list.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t spend more of the day with you,” Stephen sighed once he finally released Tony’s lips. “But I trust Harley and Peter were adequate company?”

Tony laughed softly as he sifted the fingers of his left hand through Stephen’s hair. “I’m getting too old to keep up with them.”

“I can’t keep up with them and I’m much younger than you,” Stephen teased.

“You should ditch me now,” Tony replied, “before my hair is completely gray and you don’t-”

He was cut off by Stephen’s mouth covering his again. The kiss was firm, almost demanding.

“You’re not allowed to talk about yourself on your birthday,” Stephen decided.

Tony smiled shyly. “Technically, I was talking about you.” Stephen gave him a very unimpressed look. “But whatever you say, Doc. You know I love it when you tell me what to do."

Stephen rolled his eyes, but his smirk betrayed him. “You’re impossible.”

As the sun went down, the air became cooler, bringing with it the need for the two men to wrap up in the blankets and huddle together next to the fire. Tony absolutely refused to remove his head from Stephen’s shoulder other than for the express purposes of kissing the other man and turning his head to see his smile every so often.

For the first time he could remember, Tony didn’t think about his other birthdays, especially the worst of them. He didn’t think about the fights with Howard, or the crushing loneliness when he was at boarding school, or the alcohol and drug riddled parties he could hardly recall.

All that he could focus on was the feeling of Stephen’s arm wrapped around his shoulders. The soft fabric under his hand as he rested it on Stephen’s thigh. The comforting warmth coming from the man next to him.

Tony was about to wonder what time it was when Stephen’s phone chimed. He didn’t have to look at it to know what it was signaling.

“I hope you don’t mind,” he started, sitting up slowly and pulling Tony with him. “But I enlisted the help of the boys for dessert.”

“You mean I get something else other than you?”

Despite his best efforts to look exasperated, Stephen blushed furiously. Tony’s flirting always did that to him, no matter how often he did it.

Before he could offer a reply, Harley and Peter came through the door to the roof. Peter was carrying a box, while Harley trailed behind him with a plastic bag, the pair bickering about whether Peter’s shortcut had actually saved them any time.

“We had to stand at the crosswalk for like fifteen minutes!” Harley exclaimed. “What does it matter if the distance is shorter if it takes more time?”

“A shortcut means-”

“I’m not doing this with you anymore. I can’t. I won’t.”

They came to a stop next to the couch Tony and Stephen were still occupying. The adults looked at them in amusement. Peter smiled and shrugged.

“We got your favorite, Mr. Stark,” Peter reported, setting the box down on the now clear table and opening it to reveal a perfect looking coconut cake. “Hopefully fussy over here managed to get the raspberries back without ruining all of them."

Harley was apparently trying to turn Peter to stone with his glare. “I’m fussy?”

“Boys,” Stephen tried to warn, but it came out around a laugh. “I’m sure you both performed your tasks admirably. But we should get going on this cake before the frosting starts to melt.”

Midnight approached rapidly as the group sat on the roof, looking out at the bright lights of the busy city. Tony never moved farther than arm’s reach from Stephen, and was hard pressed to take his eyes off the pair of bantering teenagers who made him smile nonstop.

It might have taken forty-nine before to get it right, but Tony Stark finally had a truly happy birthday.


End file.
